A New Life
by ErikaBwitch
Summary: What happened after Sara left in "The Happy Place"? Short, sweet, and to the point!


What happened when Sara left in "The Happy Place"?

* * *

Sara sat on the sand, digging little valleys with her toes. A strong breeze coming off the ocean whipped the waves into little white peaks. It was beginning to get cold, but she let the breeze blow over her. It gave her the feeling of blowing away all the negative energy that had penetrated her being for too many years of her life. If she was really going to do this, it had to be with a clear head and happy heart. She had returned to Las Vegas…to him…twice in six months. Their first reunion was bittersweet; one of their "family" had been murdered. They had both felt so torn—the overwhelming grief of Warrick's death combined with the joy of being able to see and touch each other. They had made love that week, the night before she came back to San Francisco. Knowing that they were to be shortly separated only heightened the experience; every touch, every kiss lingered, their bodies not wanting to separate. Grissom's comments the next day about a relationship in stasis withering had only hurt and confused Sara.

Grissom had called her the next day to apologize. He seemed to be able to articulate his thoughts more clearly over the phone than when she had been sitting across from him in his office.

"Sara…I'm losing myself here," he had said to her. She repeated her invitation for a vacation, a chance to get away from it all. He repeated his reasoning that he couldn't leave the lab short. That conversation ended without a resolution.

Months later, one of their phone conversations took an unexpected turn. The date had finally been set for Natalie's trial. Almost a year of psychiatric testing and forced medication, Natalie Davis was deemed fit to stand trial. Sara's kidnapping by Natalie had been the proverbial "last straw." She had walked away from Las Vegas not long after.

The phone calls between Grissom and Sara up to that point had sounded more hopeful. Two new CSIs had been hired for the lab, and seemed to be meshing well with the rest of the team. Grissom started expressing interest in Sara's descriptions of her life in San Francisco. Her second return for the trial was so much different. Grissom had picked her up from the airport, and every moment not spent in trial prep was spent in each other's arms. Grissom tried as hard as he could to be strong for Sara, tried to let that feeling flow through their physical connection. It had been nice visiting her friends at the lab when she was there for them, not for a case. It was not without a twinge of sadness that she met the new CSIs; they seemed so determined. Sara remembered feeling that way.

There had been no surprises at the trial. Although Natalie had been found not guilty by reason of mental defect for her murders and sentenced to a maximum security psychiatric facility, the court determined that she had acted with premeditation in Sara's kidnapping and attempted murder. Found guilty, a prison term had been tacked on to the end of her psychiatric stay.

But Sara still had to return to San Francisco. Apart from Grissom, Las Vegas held nothing for her. Grissom drove her to the airport. They spent a long moment in an embrace, not knowing when they would see each other next. Grissom took that moment to surprise her.

"When we go to the Galapagos, do you think we'll see turtles?"

The comment had shocked Sara so much that she almost started crying. "Yeah," she replied, "lots of turtles." They gripped each other even tighter. They probably would have stayed that way if the boarding call for Sara's flight hadn't been announced over the PA. They slowly released their embrace.

"I have to go."

"I know."

Sara picked up her back and threw the strap around her shoulder. She kissed him, and walked to her plane.

It was about a month later that Sara realized something was different. She was tired all the time, and her head ached. At first she thought it was just the aftereffect of releasing all the tension and stress she had been holding onto during the trial. When the doctor told her she was pregnant, she almost didn't believe it. She had thanked him and walked out. She had walked straight to the beach and had been sitting there for the past several hours, staring out at the ocean. Slowly, the beachgoers had drifted away, leaving her alone on this stretch of sand. She shivered. It was getting colder, and her light sweater was no longer keeping her warm. She stood and brushed the sand off her legs. The only thing Sara had decided was that she needed more thought. She turned, and it was then that she saw him. He was wearing jeans and his Hope Athletics sweatshirt. _Hope_. That made Sara smile. He walked through the sand over to where she stood.

"Hi."


End file.
